Page 1 of Broken Saint

1

Catherine

June 2nd

Five years ago

With more than a little trepidation, I slid the glass door open that led to our backyard and stepped out into the oppressive heat. Las Vegas the first week of June might as well have been the dead of summer. With temperatures already hovering at or over 100 degrees, it felt like we'd completely skipped over spring.

I smoothed down my new black dress, the latest prototype of my own design, and skirted my way around the small pond that defined this area of the estate and headed in the direction of my father's casita.

His private domain.

While the main house was open to family and guests alike, only a select few were allowed to enter my father's private space. And none without invitation.

I couldn't remember the last time I'd been allowed out here.

Well, that wasn't true.

Thanks to my father's knack for cruelty and harsh discipline, that night had been etched into my brain for all eternity. Hence my trepidation now. I would have been fine if I never had to step another foot into his domain for the rest of my life.

Guests for my party had already begun to arrive, and I didn't want to miss a second. The caterers had already set up inside, and the party planners had gone above and beyond with the decorations. I needed to be there. Since my birthday happened to fall on graduation night, my entire class had been invited, including the boy I hoped would take the gift of my virginity I intended to give him.

Not as something incredibly precious so much as a thing I desperately wanted to get rid of, and if I had to pick anyone to give it to, it might as well be the broody bad boy with his bad ass motorcycle and the sexy scar on his left check that no one knew how he got.

My unforgiving father would hate him. Not that I needed his approval. Those days were long gone. Eighteen might have been a little young to be this jaded, but growing up in a crime family, where keeping secrets was the job du jour, didn't make for an easy high school experience.

In fact, I'd had to fight to even be allowed into a public school. Luckily, my mother had argued for normalcy, and my father had a difficult time saying no to her. She was the only one who could get under the rock hard exterior he called skin.

Although, let's be real. If not for the fact my brothers wanted to go to school instead of being home schooled, she would not have given a damn about my requests. Whatever they wanted, they got. Because they were they precious heirs.

Swallowing down the bitterness, I stepped up to the door and knocked.

I hoped like hell whatever meager kindness my father would bestow on me for the sake of my birthday, he would do it fast.

I didn't want to leave Shane waiting too long. He'd promised me a ride on the back of his bike, and I couldn't wait to have his hard body pressed between my thighs much longer.

I was nothing if not unconventional and sleeping with some perfect do-gooder like a jock was not ever going to be my style if I had anything to say about it, and I certainly did.

Francisco jerked the door open, a mean scowl stamped across his face. "What took you so long?" he asked.

I didn't care for his tone, but as my father's right-hand man I was expected to show him a certain amount of respect. There were rules and etiquette in this world. Rules that had been driven into me over and over again.

Break a rule, get punished.

Break two rules, the punishment gets worse.

Break three rules, and well, I didn't know exactly what would happen at that point, but I had a vivid imagination, and I could imagine no one would like it. Especially me.

"The party," I answered. "I had to get ready and greet my guests."

Francisco mumbled something under his breath, which I chose to ignore, stepped back, and motioned for me to enter.

I stood there for a moment, taking in the space I hardly recognized. Obviously, it had been redecorated since my last visit, but beyond that it still felt foreign. How could an office less than one hundred yards from my house be nothing I knew about?

"Go on now. He's waiting."

The surreal moment ended as I followed the hallway to the room near the back. I remembered at least that much. The hallway opened to what would have normally been a large living space on the left and a kitchen on the right. However, the living space had become his office and the kitchen removed and relocated to what had probably once been a dining room off of the entry.

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